THE ECHO today brings you the first
glimpse of how a £150m transformation of
Knowsleys high schools will look.

Our
exclusive images come as the council
revealed design details and launched a
pupil-fronted campaign to raise awareness
of the major revamp. It is replacing all
its high schools with seven learning
centres by 2010 under the
governments Building Schools For
The Future (BSF) scheme.

One
artists impression shows Prescot
and Whiston Community Centre for Learning
 a combination of Whistons
Higher Side comprehensive and Prescot
school. It will open on the site of
Prescot school in September next year.

.........

The other is Halewood Centre
for Learning which replaces Halewood
comprehensive and opens in 2009 
possibly as early as April. Today it was
confirmed the schools, intended to be
used by the whole community, will
include:

Separate bases for
different year groups which will
include terraces for outdoor
teaching and activities.

Multi-purpose
adaptable teaching areas 
such as retractable walls to
cater for a modern
curriculum and keep up with
any educational changes.

Atriums designed to
utilise natural light at the
heart of each school. These will
be used for group work and
assemblies.

Specialist teaching
for each site, ranging from
business to languages.

Adaptable
warehouses with the
latest equipment for science and
technology, art and food
technology.

The
details emerged as the council launched
an awareness campaign championing the
benefits of the transformation.

Posters
featuring pupils, staff, parents and residents
with the theme Centres for learning 
inspiring, exploring, achieving are being
displayed on buses, billboards and the school
sites.

Cllr Graham Wright, cabinet member for
childrens services, said: The very
best advocates for the new centres for learning
are the people who will benefit from them the
most. Weve involved staff, students and
others every step of the way because these are
their facilities and we wanted them to be the
stars of the campaign.